Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime

The Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime is one of the most complicated wristwatches in the world. The timepiece debuted in 2014, in celebration of the company's 175th anniversary, and features 20 complications. That's eight more complications than the Sky Moon Tourbillon released in 2001, which, at the time, was the Genevan manufacturer's most complicated watch. According to Patek Philippe, the development, production, and assembly of the “Chime” required approximately 100,000 working hours. The company has even written a technical manual for the watch that is 200 pages long.

As its name implies, the Grandmaster Chime features several chiming mechanisms, including grande and petite sonnerie and a minute repeater. The date repeater and alarm with chime strike functions made their world debuts with the introduction of this timepiece. Additional complications include a second time zone, a moon phase display, and a perpetual calendar with a four-digit year.

The Grandmaster Chime is a so-called “double face” watch, meaning it has dials on both its front and back. While the front-facing dial displays the time and the settings for the chiming mechanism, the back is home to the perpetual calendar. Thanks to the watch's patented reversing mechanism, it's easy to switch between dials.

The watch is also popular among celebrities. Star music producer Jay-Z, for example, caused a sensation in 2022 when he showed up at rapper P. Diddy's 50th birthday party wearing a 6300G-001.

Plan to spend around 3.2 million USD on a Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime 6300G in white gold. The highly limited first edition released in 2014 and bearing the reference number 5175R is almost impossible to come by. Should a 5175R become available, expect the price to be in the tens of millions. And that's not even the most impressive Grandmaster Chime model: For references 6300/400G and 401G, Patek employed not only haute horlogerie, but haute joaillerie: the bezel, case, and clasp on the 400G are fitted with a total of 409 baguette-cut diamonds, while the 401G boasts 118 blue baguette-cut sapphires on the bezel, time side, and clasp, and another 291 baguette-cut diamonds on the bezel, calendar side, and case. Both references are extremely rare and estimated to cost approximately 4.2 million USD. Insider tip: If you purchase the gemstone variants from the manufacturer, you'll get a set of matching white gold cuff links set with sapphires or diamonds.

So far, Patek Philippe has issued six “Grandmaster Chime” references. Essentially, these models differ only in case material and dial color. Four of the models have the same diameter (47.7 mm), thickness (16.07 mm), and caliber. References 6300/400G and 6300/401G are a bit larger, namely 49.4 mm in diameter and 16.32 mm thick, due to the addition of diamonds and sapphires.

The manufacturer outfits the Grandmaster Chime with the in-house caliber 300 GS AL 36-750 QIS FUS IRM, or caliber 300 for short. This movement is comprised of 1,366 individual components and ticks at a frequency of 25,200 vibrations per hour (vph), which is equivalent to 3.5 Hz. The time display has a 72-hour power reserve, while the chiming mechanism has a power reserve of 30 hours. Considering its 20 complications, the movement is astonishingly compact, measuring only 37 mm across and 10.7 mm thick.

As a sign of its world-class quality, the caliber comes with the Patek Philippe Seal. Movements must pass a series of rigorous tests to earn this quality seal. For example, the movement may only deviate by a maximum of +3/-2 seconds per day. Other criteria include the components' finishes and the quality of the materials used.

The very first Grandmaster Chime bears the reference number 5175. Patek Philippe worked on this model for seven years before revealing it as part of their 175th anniversary celebrations. The manufacturer only ended up producing seven of these timepieces, one of which resides in the Patek Philippe Museum.

Apart from its many complications, one highlight of this timepiece is its patented rotating mechanism for the lugs, which lets you wear the watch with either the front or the back facing upward without having to undo the strap. You simply rotate the case 180° around its own axis. By way of comparison, the case of a conventional wristwatch usually consists of a maximum of twelve parts; the Grandmaster Chime is composed of 214 parts, partly due to the unique turning mechanism.

The Grandmaster Chime 5175's case and lugs come in 18-karat rose gold. Patek's artisans painstakingly engrave these components with intricate decorations by hand, making every timepiece truly one of a kind.

Aside from the watch in the company's museum in Switzerland, little is known about the fate of the other six copies. They are most likely in the hands of anonymous collectors, and thus unlikely to reappear for sale. Even if one of the owners were to decide to sell their Grandmaster Chime, they would likely demand an eight-figure price, which is significantly more than the initial purchase price of 2.6 million USD.

As of 2016, you can find the Grandmaster Chime in Patek Philippe's standard line-up under the reference number 6300G. Unlike the 5175, the 6300G is made of white gold and has polished finishes on its lugs and the top and bottom of its case, while the case sides feature a beautiful, hand-engraved "Clous de Paris" pattern.

To date, Patek has produced four versions of the 6300G. Ref. 6300G-001 comes with a black dial and matching black alligator strap, while the 6300G-010 features a soft blue opaline dial and an exquisite navy blue leather strap.

The refs. 6300/400G and 401G are more or less identical to the ref. 6300G-001 with an ebony black opaline dial. In contrast to its “plainer” sibling model, Patek adorns the case, bezel, and lugs of the 2022 variant with diamonds (ref. 400G-001) or blue sapphires (ref. 401G-001).

You can call one of these models your own for around 3.2 or 4.2 million USD, depending on the edition.

The Grandmaster Chime 6300A-010 is the collection's most exclusive timepiece. Patek Philippe created this one-off masterpiece specifically for the Only Watch auction in 2019.

What makes this watch truly special is its use of stainless steel instead of precious metal. Its dials are equally spectacular: While the dial with the displays for the time and chiming mechanisms is made of rose gold, Patek chose ebony for the dial with the calendar displays. Finally, the inscription “The Only One” on the alarm subdial underscores this timepiece's exclusivity.

In the end, the 6300A-010 went to an unknown bidder for approximately 31 million USD, making it the most expensive wristwatch of all time. Patek Philippe donated a large portion of the proceeds to the Monaco Association Against Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (Association Monégasque contre les Myopathies, or "AMM"). This association researches Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a life-threatening degenerative muscular disease that mostly affects children and adolescents.

The most valuable watch in the world right now is the Graff Diamonds Hallucination, the creation of which cost approximately 55 million USD. The manufacturer presented the unique piece at Baselworld 2014. The watch is encrusted with 110 carats of rare colored diamonds.